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NEWS 11
Army October 13, 2011
Working for the diggers
By Sgt Andrew Hetherington
DIGGERWORKS is seeking feed-
back from soldiers who have used
the range of recently introduced
combat equipment on operations as
well as ideas for new gear.
The Diggerworks organisation
consists of 30 personnel, including
engineers, scientists and experienced
military personnel who have deployed
to the MEAO.
Director Col Jason Blain, who
took up the position after deploying to
Afghanistan as CO MTF 1 last year,
said Diggerworks was about deliver-
ing the best equipment to soldiers as
quickly as possible.
"Our work is critical to provide
rapid changes to equipment to support
combat soldiers as they adapt to their
environment and the threats within it."
"We are working on soldier close
combatant systems within the cate-
gories of survivability, sustainabil-
ity, lethality, mobility, and command,
control and situational awareness.
"Among our current projects are
a new load-carriage system, upgrad-
ing soldiers' helmets, individual water
purification systems, and integrated
hearing protection systems."
Diggerworks is also responsible
for ensuring the equipment combat
soldiers carry is integrated properly
to ensure effective use can be made,
greatest flexibility for soldiers in
placement and ergonomic fit.
One of the latest pieces of protec-
tive equipment, which was issued to
MTF 3 soldiers before they deployed,
was the TBAS body armour system.
Diggerworks has received an
enormous amount of positive feed-
back from soldiers who are using the
system.
"The CO of MTF 3, his soldiers
and the SOTG have provided excel-
lent feedback on TBAS," Col Blain
said.
"Soldiers appreciated how the
equipment had been modified to suit
the roles they work in, particularly
with the reduction in weight, pro-
viding them with added agility, ena-
bling combatants to be more mobile
in combat situations."
MTF 4 will be issued TBAS pro-
duced in a multicam pattern material.
Future modifications will have further
enhancements incorporated within it,
such as side access, the introduction
of an integrated vest, the redistribu-
tion of weight off the shoulders to the
waist area and the further specialisa-
tion of the system for different com-
bat roles.
In October a Diggerworks fly-
away team will visit Afghanistan
to gain soldier feedback on TBAS,
load carriage systems, protective eye-
wear, the new Crye combat uniform
and tier two of the pelvic protection
system.
Ideas for, and feedback on, soldier combat
equipment can be submitted to
diggerworks@defence.gov.au
Battle tested: MTF 3 soldiers in Afghanistan are using a range of equipment developed or procured by Diggerworks, such as TBAS and
protective eyewear.
Photo by PO Damian Pawlenko